Tsarina Esra | Brouwerij De Molen
Brewed by:
Brouwerij De Molen
Netherlands
brouwerijdemolen.nl
Style: Baltic Porter
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 11.00%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by johnnybravo on 02-11-2008
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 221 | Reviews: 85
4.11/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from a 2015 bottle with unknown storage history (but "fresh" into the Seattle market) into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin khaki head that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted and biscuit malt, cocoa, mild fresh and dried plums, a hint of vanilla. Flavor is dark, lightly toasted and dry biscuit malt, light fresh and dried plum, hints of dates and cocoa; flavor thins out a little into the finish with light oxidation notes. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess and good mouth feel and carbonation. Flavor profile is classic Baltic porter, with a little old ale maltiness along with darker stout malt and the pleasant dark stone fruit that makes this style so interesting. Hits all the notes I hope for in a Baltic porter, but perhaps a little subdued. Some flavors seem a little tired and there are distinct light oxidation, so I'm glad I didn't have this which much more age on it. It held up to aging well, particularly because this has been warehoused under unknown conditions rather than cellared. I'm less and less happy with Shelton Bros. Offerings in the Northwest and I'm increasingly thinking we often get warehouse bloat rather than fresh imported offerings. Why wasn't this distributed in 2015? I like some age on big porters and stouts, but think the proper storage conditions are important. This is a nice Baltic porter and I hope someday I can try a fresh one for comparison.
1,511 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from a 2015 bottle with unknown storage history (but "fresh" into the Seattle market) into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin khaki head that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted and biscuit malt, cocoa, mild fresh and dried plums, a hint of vanilla. Flavor is dark, lightly toasted and dry biscuit malt, light fresh and dried plum, hints of dates and cocoa; flavor thins out a little into the finish with light oxidation notes. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess and good mouth feel and carbonation. Flavor profile is classic Baltic porter, with a little old ale maltiness along with darker stout malt and the pleasant dark stone fruit that makes this style so interesting. Hits all the notes I hope for in a Baltic porter, but perhaps a little subdued. Some flavors seem a little tired and there are distinct light oxidation, so I'm glad I didn't have this which much more age on it. It held up to aging well, particularly because this has been warehoused under unknown conditions rather than cellared. I'm less and less happy with Shelton Bros. Offerings in the Northwest and I'm increasingly thinking we often get warehouse bloat rather than fresh imported offerings. Why wasn't this distributed in 2015? I like some age on big porters and stouts, but think the proper storage conditions are important. This is a nice Baltic porter and I hope someday I can try a fresh one for comparison.
1,511 characters
4.19/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Nice dark brown colour, with a medium head that quickly disappears.
Caramel and coffee smell.
The taste is mainly sweet, with coffee and roasted barley, caramel, dried plums and woody notes at the end. Dry aftertaste.
A good imperial porter, with 10.1% alcohol (at least the 2017 version). Funny expiration date: 2042! :)
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Nice dark brown colour, with a medium head that quickly disappears.
Caramel and coffee smell.
The taste is mainly sweet, with coffee and roasted barley, caramel, dried plums and woody notes at the end. Dry aftertaste.
A good imperial porter, with 10.1% alcohol (at least the 2017 version). Funny expiration date: 2042! :)
322 characters
3.92/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottled 4/25/14; drank 5/22/18 @ the Yarchives.
Black appearance.
A violent pour yielded almost no tan lace; almost no lace.
Fresh earth, dark chocolate, leather & mild dark cherry notes in the nose.
Flat, medium thick mouthfeel.
Fresh earth, barnyard & leather flavors up front; dark chocolate notes on the finish. No booze heat.
A bit raw for me; almost a manure note in there! However, it ain't boring.
417 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottled 4/25/14; drank 5/22/18 @ the Yarchives.
Black appearance.
A violent pour yielded almost no tan lace; almost no lace.
Fresh earth, dark chocolate, leather & mild dark cherry notes in the nose.
Flat, medium thick mouthfeel.
Fresh earth, barnyard & leather flavors up front; dark chocolate notes on the finish. No booze heat.
A bit raw for me; almost a manure note in there! However, it ain't boring.
417 characters
4.25/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.32/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.37/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
So much chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Finishes with tobacco, leather and a hint of liquorice. Silky smooth mouthfeel with minimal carbonation. Complexity builds as it warms
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
So much chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Finishes with tobacco, leather and a hint of liquorice. Silky smooth mouthfeel with minimal carbonation. Complexity builds as it warms
173 characters
4.16/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a snifter, the appearance was a thick black color with no head nor lacing. The aroma starts off with thick sweet milk and dark chocolate, full and sweet with a nice deep roasty robust coffee bean rolling on into the blend. The flavor takes all of those previously mentioned aromas and adds some black licorice. Semi-sticky sort of sweet and roasty aftertaste with a sly sticky finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a really nice smooth roasty to sweet feel rolling over my tongue. Roasty harshness seems to hit nicely. Overall, really nice Imperial porter that I would have again.
631 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a snifter, the appearance was a thick black color with no head nor lacing. The aroma starts off with thick sweet milk and dark chocolate, full and sweet with a nice deep roasty robust coffee bean rolling on into the blend. The flavor takes all of those previously mentioned aromas and adds some black licorice. Semi-sticky sort of sweet and roasty aftertaste with a sly sticky finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a really nice smooth roasty to sweet feel rolling over my tongue. Roasty harshness seems to hit nicely. Overall, really nice Imperial porter that I would have again.
631 characters
4.47/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.48/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
2014 bottle.
This pours a very dark black, with a fleeting head of just a few bubbles, and a little bit of lacing.
This smells like chocolate chip cookie dough, powdery cocoa powder, raisins, dates, and some vanilla.
There's a lot going on here- it tastes like it has adjuncts in it, but there isn't. I get some creamy vanilla, dark and chocolatey fudge cake, dates, prunes, and raisins. There's a bit of molasses, too. There's not a ton of carbonation after 3 years or so in the bottle, but it doesn't affect this too much.
This is light bodied, but silky and still a bit rich, with a very low level of carbonation.
This is a fantastic beer, and one of the best I've had yet from De Molen.
695 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
2014 bottle.
This pours a very dark black, with a fleeting head of just a few bubbles, and a little bit of lacing.
This smells like chocolate chip cookie dough, powdery cocoa powder, raisins, dates, and some vanilla.
There's a lot going on here- it tastes like it has adjuncts in it, but there isn't. I get some creamy vanilla, dark and chocolatey fudge cake, dates, prunes, and raisins. There's a bit of molasses, too. There's not a ton of carbonation after 3 years or so in the bottle, but it doesn't affect this too much.
This is light bodied, but silky and still a bit rich, with a very low level of carbonation.
This is a fantastic beer, and one of the best I've had yet from De Molen.
695 characters
4.49/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.49/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.16/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
330ml bottle poured into a snifter.
Deep opaque brown as a showcase, the pour yields very thin tan foam on the surface that is considered as almost no real head, lots of sticky frothy patch and spot clinging on the glass-side as well as lots of sediment.
Very rich creamy and milky chocolate in a nose together with cocoa powder, fudge, some coffee, licorice, dark fruit, dark bread, roasted, and some smoke. Chocolate here is intense and so enticing.
The taste is deep and rich of roasted malt together with big sugary/chocolaty/molasses sweetness but not that cloying with also a touch of rich chocolate flavor. Suggestions of cocoa powder, coffee, licorice, smoke, as well as dark fruit too in the middle of the way while creamy and dark bready touch draw in providing smoothness through the taste buds.
The body is full but not that much sticky with rather low to moderate carbonation but it is crisp and lively enough to carry well its taste and body under the smooth palate sensation and dry finish. Another solid offering from De Molen, this Imperial Porter is heavily roasted and rich in chocolate.
1,110 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
330ml bottle poured into a snifter.
Deep opaque brown as a showcase, the pour yields very thin tan foam on the surface that is considered as almost no real head, lots of sticky frothy patch and spot clinging on the glass-side as well as lots of sediment.
Very rich creamy and milky chocolate in a nose together with cocoa powder, fudge, some coffee, licorice, dark fruit, dark bread, roasted, and some smoke. Chocolate here is intense and so enticing.
The taste is deep and rich of roasted malt together with big sugary/chocolaty/molasses sweetness but not that cloying with also a touch of rich chocolate flavor. Suggestions of cocoa powder, coffee, licorice, smoke, as well as dark fruit too in the middle of the way while creamy and dark bready touch draw in providing smoothness through the taste buds.
The body is full but not that much sticky with rather low to moderate carbonation but it is crisp and lively enough to carry well its taste and body under the smooth palate sensation and dry finish. Another solid offering from De Molen, this Imperial Porter is heavily roasted and rich in chocolate.
1,110 characters
3.54/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
4.71/5 rDev +12.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Nose: dates, dark fruit, warm spice, smoke, syrup.
Look: 2014 bottle. dark crimson brown. still.
Taste: black liquorice, leather, figs, cigar, heavy, creamy, chewy, chocolate, oak, whiskey.
HUGE flavours.
208 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Nose: dates, dark fruit, warm spice, smoke, syrup.
Look: 2014 bottle. dark crimson brown. still.
Taste: black liquorice, leather, figs, cigar, heavy, creamy, chewy, chocolate, oak, whiskey.
HUGE flavours.
208 characters
4.17/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured from the bottle into a pint glass at Bottoms Up, Jingan in Shanghai China.
A: Almost pure black with a slight cola red at the edges. Almost no head at all aside from a slight fizz at the top.
S: Sweetness, plum, chocolate of course. Faint traces of alcohol.
T: Slight note of roasted coffee, toffee, milk chocolate, brandy, Kahlua
F: Viscous and thick, sticky in the throat and back of mouth
Overall: A bit much. Really good for a bit then overpowering. Tastes good but the thickness gets to you. Good for a try.
524 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured from the bottle into a pint glass at Bottoms Up, Jingan in Shanghai China.
A: Almost pure black with a slight cola red at the edges. Almost no head at all aside from a slight fizz at the top.
S: Sweetness, plum, chocolate of course. Faint traces of alcohol.
T: Slight note of roasted coffee, toffee, milk chocolate, brandy, Kahlua
F: Viscous and thick, sticky in the throat and back of mouth
Overall: A bit much. Really good for a bit then overpowering. Tastes good but the thickness gets to you. Good for a try.
524 characters
3.61/5 rDev -13.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Dark bean brown with no head
Aromas of smoked and slightly rotting meat. Some cocoa malts. Fig. Alcohol prunes. Hints of oxidation.
Metallic bite followed by prunes and jerky, cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, roast malt, fig. Sticky sweetness throughout.
Feel is surprisingly light for an Imper. Porter, but the stickiness sort of makes up for it. Roasty finish.
Overall reminds me a lot of anchor Porter. A bit stronger though. Worth the $8? Probably not. That's part of my rating here.
488 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Dark bean brown with no head
Aromas of smoked and slightly rotting meat. Some cocoa malts. Fig. Alcohol prunes. Hints of oxidation.
Metallic bite followed by prunes and jerky, cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, roast malt, fig. Sticky sweetness throughout.
Feel is surprisingly light for an Imper. Porter, but the stickiness sort of makes up for it. Roasty finish.
Overall reminds me a lot of anchor Porter. A bit stronger though. Worth the $8? Probably not. That's part of my rating here.
488 characters
4.24/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Incredibly deep, dark, complex and robust, no one does roast more than De Molen. Their chocolate porter of the baltic style takes a pedal off of the burnt side but is no less robust or powerful for it. Its cocoa focus is front and center throughout.
Tsarina Esra's ominously dark tar appearance swirls with syrupy legging and capped with a tarnish espresso froth. Rife and dense with the pungent earthiness of true cocoa powder, a coffee-like, fudgy, woodsy and winey fragrance emerges. Burnt sugars galore as the maltiness is remiss of burnt cream and molasses.
With a cocoa-rich fudginess at its core, the porter brings out a heavily toasted, walnut, coffee and chicory-like earthiness as the carbonized sugars begin to lift. Hints of dark fruit and spice follow the roasted cocoa nibs with nuances of red grape, aniseed, blackcurrant, peppercorn, plum skin and robust bordeaux wine. Its woodsy bitterness is easily dismissed for chicory, smoky chocolate or toasted astringency instead of hops, but an herbal cedar note proves otherwise.
Full bodied and mouth-coating with its low-lying carbonation and its lasting sweetness, but the beer's verbose alcohols and powdery tannins aid in dryness while a peppery, woodsy bite continues strong. A long linger of raw cocoa powder and smoldering ember is long and robust even in after-palate in a simmering afterglow of warmth.
1,375 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Incredibly deep, dark, complex and robust, no one does roast more than De Molen. Their chocolate porter of the baltic style takes a pedal off of the burnt side but is no less robust or powerful for it. Its cocoa focus is front and center throughout.
Tsarina Esra's ominously dark tar appearance swirls with syrupy legging and capped with a tarnish espresso froth. Rife and dense with the pungent earthiness of true cocoa powder, a coffee-like, fudgy, woodsy and winey fragrance emerges. Burnt sugars galore as the maltiness is remiss of burnt cream and molasses.
With a cocoa-rich fudginess at its core, the porter brings out a heavily toasted, walnut, coffee and chicory-like earthiness as the carbonized sugars begin to lift. Hints of dark fruit and spice follow the roasted cocoa nibs with nuances of red grape, aniseed, blackcurrant, peppercorn, plum skin and robust bordeaux wine. Its woodsy bitterness is easily dismissed for chicory, smoky chocolate or toasted astringency instead of hops, but an herbal cedar note proves otherwise.
Full bodied and mouth-coating with its low-lying carbonation and its lasting sweetness, but the beer's verbose alcohols and powdery tannins aid in dryness while a peppery, woodsy bite continues strong. A long linger of raw cocoa powder and smoldering ember is long and robust even in after-palate in a simmering afterglow of warmth.
1,375 characters
4.18/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 2 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
From Zombier. In Teku glass. Watching Los Soprano 4x09. Deliciously sweet. Very low on carbonation, providing it a light and very drinkable feel that is very dangerous for such a ABV
182 characters
look: 2 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
From Zombier. In Teku glass. Watching Los Soprano 4x09. Deliciously sweet. Very low on carbonation, providing it a light and very drinkable feel that is very dangerous for such a ABV
182 characters
Tsarina Esra from Brouwerij De Molen
Beer rating:
4.18 out of
5 with
221 ratings
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